A 22-year-old man, who was jailed for 10 years this week for his part in a gruesome New Westminster killing, still faces a series of child sex charges in Richmond.
Carlo Tobias made the headlines earlier this week when he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter - and accessory after the fact to murder - in the killing of New Westminster resident Ma Cecilia Loreto, whose body was found burning in a Burnaby park a year ago.
According to court records, Tobias is alleged to have sexually interfered with a minor somewhere in Richmond between Nov. 1 and Nov. 30, 2020.
Tobias, who was understood to live in Richmond, is also charged with sexual assault, invitation to touching and possession of child porn.
A spokesperson for the BC Prosecution Service said Tobias’ next court appearance will be May 20 this year.
The Criminal Code of Canada defines sexual interference as touching for a “sexual purpose…directly or indirectly, with a part of the body or with an object, any part of the body of a person under the age of 16 years.”
Tobias and a 15-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, were originally charged with first degree murder and indignity to human remains after Loreto’s body was found in Greentree Village Park in the early morning hours of March 18, 2021.
On Tuesday, however, Tobias pleaded guilty to manslaughter and acting as an accessory after the fact to murder instead.
In a joint sentencing submission, Crown prosecutor Jay Fogel and defence lawyer Mathew Nathanson called for a 10-year prison sentence, meaning Tobias would have eight-and-a-half years left to serve.
Loreto was killed inside her New Westminster home, where Tobias and the youth had lain in wait for her return from work on the afternoon of March 17, 2021.
Tobias stepped out from behind a door he was hiding behind and punched 49-year-old Loreto in the face, knocking her unconscious, but Loreto was still alive.
The teen, who will be tried separately, then stabbed Loreto twice with a kitchen knife.
Tobias had not seen the knife prior to the stabbing, Fogel said.
Tobias and the youth, who were known to each other and to Loreto, then wrapped her body up with blankets and tape.
They later took Loreto’s body to the park, poured gasoline on it and set it on fire.
Police found her body later that morning, after a nearby resident reported the fire.
Four days later, Tobias confessed to his family and then turned himself in to Richmond RCMP.
With files from Cornelia Naylor/Burnaby Now
